Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Rams hoping to lift sales of season tickets

The desire to increase season-ticket sales, and not the Rams' worst season since moving to St. Louis in 1995, was the major factor in the decision not to increase ticket prices for PSL holders, a team executive said Monday.

"If you look around the league, that happens, that teams still raise prices" after poor seasons, said Bob Wallace, the Rams' executive vice president and general counsel. "Costs go up for everyone; the salary cap is going up $7 million next year (to $116 million). So, you can't base it on that. Otherwise, you'd always be subject to the win-loss record, and we can't be in thatsituation.

"We want to encourage people to buy season tickets. That's how you survive in this league, with a strong season-ticket base."

For the first time in nine years, prices for fans who own personal seat licenses are being kept at the previous season's level. The prices for the small number of single-game tickets that are available will be "moderately increased," according to a statement from the team.

The average ticket prices for Rams games are expected to fallbelow the NFL average.

In a letter sent Monday to PSL holders, team president John Shaw wrote that the Rams kept prices at 2007 levels"inappreciation and recognition of the PSL owners' continued support of the Rams."

He also promised that the Rams would strive to strengthen personnel through free agency and the draft, and would spend to the salary cap. He also wrote that the team was looking at ways to improve the game-day experience and atmosphere at the Edward Jones Dome.

The Rams haven't qualified for the playoffs since 2004. Their 3-13 season in '07 led to an unprecedented number of local television blackouts. As the Rams struggled, turnouts at the Dome suffered. Three of the eight home games failedto sell out and, because of NFL rules, could not be televised locally. Two other games, vs. Green Bay and Pittsburgh, sold out only because contingents of visiting fans bought up large numbers of tickets.